Advanced Health Care Directives

There are certain decisions in life that no one ever wants to make. Among these are, “Is it time to pull the plug on mom?” or “If dad were awake, would he want a feeding tube put in?” These situations are absolutely devastating, and while an Advanced Health Care Directive (AHCD) can’t prevent them, it can make them easier. It is a document you can put in place that clarifies what actions concerning your health that you want taken under certain conditions. If you are in a coma or otherwise incapable of making decisions for yourself, an AHCD prevents your children or your friends from having to ask and answer those terrible questions. For more nuanced questions that may not be predictable, an AHCD also puts in place a health care agent, a trusted individual, usually though not necessarily a spouse or an adult child, who can make healthcare decisions on your behalf to avoid letting the state or relatives who may not have your best interest at heart make such decisions.